Three’s Company

TV classics: Three’s Company

USA 1977-84, eight seasons, 172 episodes, approximately 25 minutes each, ABC, color. Cast: John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, Suzanne Somers, Norman Fell, Audra Lindley, Jenilee Harrison, Priscilla Barnes, Richard Kline, Don Knotts, Ann Wedgeworth.

Plot summary: To be allowed to share an apartment with two girls, ladies’ man Jack Tripper tells a lie to his landlords that turns his life into a comedy of errors.

Review: There are not a lot of things from the 70s I have fond memories of. Three’s Company, however, was one of the few series I thoroughly enjoyed as a kid. It may have been the odd mix of slapstick and comedy of errors that made me fall in love with it or the comedic genius of John Ritter who died ten years ago at only 54. The early seasons were my favorites, starring John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, Suzanne Somers, Norman Fell and Audra Lindley. Based on the British sitcom Man About the House, Three’s Company was re-written and re-cast several times before it finally premiered on ABC in the spring of 1977. An instant hit, the show was promptly renewed for a second season and didn’t lose audience approval until its eighth and final season.

Today, the storyline is a pop culture classic. When Jack Tripper moves in with two young women, Janet Wood and Chrissy Snow, he is confronted with the scrutiny of his new landlord Mr. Roper who is not fond of the idea that a man shares an apartment with two single girls. So Jack and his roommates come up with a lie that temporarily saves the day, but also turns their lives into a game of hide and seek, of misunderstandings and double entendre. What sounds simplistic now was actually great entertainment. Jack Tripper, the ladies’ man with the ironic name, pretended to be gay and thus unmasked the hypocrisy of his respectable landlord. Mrs. Roper, the sensually charged (and constantly starved) wife of Stanley Roper, was well aware of Tripper’s lie but never gave him away. She enjoyed seeing her husband being messed about with too much.

Blessed with a talented cast who knew how to sell a charmingly silly storyline, Three’s Company started lasting careers but also survived cast departures, changes and additions. Following into the footsteps of its British predecessor, the show sparked off two spin-offs, The Ropers in 1979 and Three’s a Crowd in 1984, both of which were unfortunately short-lived.  Available in reruns and on DVD today, the show is still popular with members of all generations and tickles the risible muscles of anyone who’s fond of the late 1970s.

Don’t remember the show?! Watch the pilot here.

 

 

Custer

TV classics: aka The Legend of Custer

USA 1967, one season, 17 episodes, approximately 50 minutes each, ABC, color. Cast: Wayne Maunder, Slim Pickens, Michael Dante, Robert F. Simon, Peter Palmer.

Plot summary: After the Civil War, Lieutenant Colonel Custer takes command of the 7th Cavalry, a group of misfits, criminals and ex-Confederates at Fort Riley, Kansas.

Review: In the late 1960s, one of America’s most popular genres slowly began saying farewell to television in its traditional form. Often considered too rough, Westerns were replaced by modernized versions that used the Old West as a mere setting for whodunits or family-friendly stories. Starring Wayne Maunder in the title role, Custer was one of the last original Westerns, a show suggested by Larry Cohen and produced by 20th Century Fox. Although blessed with popular guest stars of the time such as Agnes Moorehead, William Windom or Barbara Hale, the show failed to become a success. Based on George Armstrong Custer’s life, the program was violent and often historically incorrect. Protested by Native Americans and opposed by The Virginian and Lost in Space on NBC and CBS, the show never really stood a chance. Canceled the same year it was launched, Custer became TV history after only seventeen hour-long episodes. Still remembered and cherished by die-hard Western fans today, the show can be revisited on DVD or on Youtube. For anyone who enjoys the style of the 1960s, Custer may be a real gem that deserves re-evaluation. The same goes for anyone who’s fond of TV classics in general, including those the majority of us has long forgotten – unfortunately or not. It’s your decision.

Watch Custer: Death Hunt here, guest starring Barbara Hale and Patricia Harty.

Growing Pains

TV classics: Growing Pains

USA 1985-92, seven seasons, 166 episodes, approximately 25 minutes each, ABC, color. Cast: Joanna Kerns, Alan Thicke, Kirk Cameron, Tracey Gold, Jeremy Miller, Ashley Johnson, Leonardo DiCaprio.

Plot summary: When Maggie resumes her journalism career, it’s Jason who gets more involved with the Seaver kids and their growing pains.

Review: In the 1980s, family sitcoms conquered the TV market. The Cosby Show, Family Ties or Valerie (aka The Hogan Family) – as a kid of that era, those shows are as familiar to you as your own family stories. The Huxtables, Keatons and Hogans are like relatives stirring up fond memories of a time when your biggest problems were curfews, chores and flunking physics. Growing Pains was one of those shows, popular for seven seasons with two reunion movies produced in 2000 and 2004 to add to a nostalgic retrospection of a carefree childhood in more complicated times.

Growing Pains shows the daily adventures of the Seaver household. Mother Maggie who returns to her journalism career in the very first episode, leaving the kids to husband Jason, a psychologist who’s running his practice from home. Together, they are trying to handle their growing offspring Mike, Carol and Ben. Mike is not only the oldest of the brood, he is also the biggest troublemaker. His sister Carol is the smart kid while Ben is the lippy one, each of them fighting to get the upper hand in the family but also sticking together when their pubescent mess hits the fan. As a show of its times, Growing Pains put a lot of emphasis on the children and their problems without ignoring the parents and their (sometimes troubled) world. Blessed with an outstanding cast including Joanna Kerns and Alan Thicke, the show managed what the majority of programs fails to do: it’s stayed fresh not only in the hearts and minds of die-hard fans, but also works in reruns on DVD two decades after the final episode aired on TV.

Like many good programs and things in life, however, Growing Pains also had a downside. While Kirk Cameron (Mike Seaver) explored religion and its meaning in his professional and private life, plotlines and casting choices began to create controversies the born-again Christian later blamed on his inexperience and youth at the time. His screen sister Tracey Gold (Carol Seaver) struggled with anorexia and practically missed the last season due to her deteriorating health. Fully recovered now, the actress has been outspoken about the dangers of eating disorders for girls since. Despite those struggles behind the scenes, the show remains a precious piece of 80s nostalgia still worth watching – as a trip back to your own childhood or to pass it on to a new generation. After all – As long as we got each other, We got the world spinnin right in our hands. Baby you and me, we gotta be, The luckiest dreamers who never quit dreamin’ - who could resist that theme song?!

The Jetsons

TV classics: The Jetsons

USA 1962-63 and 1985-87, three seasons, 75 episodes, approximately 25 minutes each, ABC and syndication, color. Produced by Hanna-Barbera. Voice talents: George O’Hanlon, Penny Singleton, Janet Waldo, Daws Butler, Mel Blanc, Don Messick and Jean Vander Pyl.

Plot summary: In the year 2062, the Jetson family lives a normal life in Orbit City with their house-robot Rosey and George’s best friend, Astro the dog.

Review: In 2062, life for the Jetsons is full of conveniences: the household is organized by computers and Rosey the Robot, an outdated housekeeper model whose homey attitude and cheeky remarks fit right in with her human family. George is the soft patriarch and Jane his dutiful wife who both love to push buttons to make their lives as easy as possible. Together, they are raising their two children, fifteen-year-old Judy and little Elroy who’s already six-and-a-half. The world they live in is Utopian and futuristic, their apartment elevated above the ground. In their everyday lives, the Jetson children attend school like children from all decades while father George works with his friend RUDI, a Referential Universal Digital Indexer (aka his work computer), whose personality is as human as Rosey’s or Astro’s. Jane Jetson is primarily a housewife whose favorite pastime is shopping as well as delighting her family with new gadgets and fashion. In 75 episodes, they were supported by many recurring characters including George Jetson’s boss Mr. Spacely and an alien called Orbitty.

Produced by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, The Jetsons were created in color as a Flintstone family in space. Referring to contemporary trends and styles of the early 60s, the show was targeting a grownup audience in its first 24 episodes, a strategy that was changed in the mid 80s when Hanna-Barbera relaunched the program for another two seasons with decent success. Using all the original characters, the sci-fi cartoon family conquered the hearts of many children between 1985 and 87, a hey day for re-imagining TV classics from Leave it to Beaver to Perry Mason.

For anyone who grew up loving Orbit City and the funny mishaps the Jetson family had with their everyday technology, the show is now available on DVD with only the third season not yet announced for release. If you’re like me, you’ll discover your inner child again by watching this lighthearted show from a bygone time when computers did not yet dictate so much of our daily routine. For those who can’t wait to get the complete boxsets, selected episodes are also available on Youtube, including my favorite Rosey the Robot (a character so fondly based on Hazel, another fantastic 60s show and a favorite of mine only recently presented on this blog by yours truly).

Oh, Susanna

TV classics: The Gale Storm Show

USA 1956-60, 4 seasons,  143 episodes, approximately 25 minutes each, CBS and ABC, black & white. Created by: Lee Karson. Cast: Gale Storm, ZaSu Pitts, Roy Roberts and James Fairfax.

Plot summary: As a cruise director, Susanna Pomeroy sees the world and meets people from all around, including guest stars such as Pat Boone.

Review: Two decades before Love Boat would hoist its sails to become a family favorite for almost a decade, The Gale Storm Show (aka Oh, Susanna) premiered on CBS, featuring  the popular singer/actress as cruise director Susanna Pomeroy. Traveling the world on a ship, the show’s star was supported by silent film veteran ZaSu Pitts as the title character’s best friend Elvira Nugent, as well as by recurring crew members Roy Roberts (as Captain Huxley)  and James Fairfax. Berthing in different harbors each week, Susanna and Nugie went on new adventures in exciting countries and cities, meeting interesting locals and colorful guests.

Designed as a sitcom with variety elements, Gale Storm did not only get a chance to attract her audience as an actress and comedienne, but also as the talented cover songstress she had developed into after the completion of her first television success, My Little Margie. Her trademark whistle, although used differently in both hit shows, is one of many memories her fans still associate with Gale Storm and her infectious on screen personality. Always good-natured, wholesome and amusing, Gale Storm was a wonderful entertainer who brought her fans a lot of laughter and joy when TV was still in its infancy. Today, only twenty-four episodes of The Gale Storm Show are available on DVD, an unfortunate fact that deprives old fans and new ones of the full glory and glamor of a lovely program named after its versatile leading lady.

 

The Perry Mason Radio Show

In 1943, after having published some twenty odd successful whodunits, Erle Stanley Gardner signed a contract with Procter & Gamble to bring his fictional lawyer and his team to America’s living rooms. Although scarred by his experiences with Hollywood and Warner Bros’ six reluctantly successful screen adaptations, he agreed to broadcast Perry Mason as an afternoon program to entertain his target group and thus promote his books. Despite Gardner’s own deficiencies to turn his narratives into suspenseful scripts, Perry Mason premiered in the fall of 1943 and underwent several revisions until the author finally came to like the radio version of his famous character three years later. Improved by writer Irving Vendig in 1946, Perry Mason was brought to life by several actors, among them Donald Briggs, John Larkin, Sanots Ortega and Bartlett Robinson. They presented a sophisticated, multifaceted lawyer who was in the habit of defending friends and enjoyed good food. He was supported by an ever-loyal and savvy Della Street, played by Joan Alexander, Jan Miner an Gertrude Warner. Their relationship, like in the books, remained a riddle: close-knit and intimate, yet respectful and professional, they shared a kiss more than once. Paul Drake, the smart-mouthed, brisk detective, was played by Matt Crowley and Charles Webster. Always kept on his toes by Perry’s cases and eager to banter with Della, he was an important ingredient to the slowly blooming success of a soapy yet suspenseful show. Broadcast five days a week in fifteen minute segments, Perry Mason solved his cases with the help of recurring guest characters such as Helen and Jake Jacobson, two news reporters who helped fool suspects or the prosecution more than once. Designed as a suspense program with melodramatic elements, the show lasted twelve consecutive seasons and was finally terminated in 1955. Followed by the still popular Perry Mason TV show (CBS 1957-66, NBC 1985-95) and The Edge of Night (CBS 1956-75, ABC 1975-84), selected episodes of the Perry Mason radio program are now available on The Internet Archive and Old Time Radio. Although incomplete and rather different in quality, the episodes are a wonderful treat for any Perry Mason fan, novice or seasoned, and a great addition to any radio detective collection.

The Mickey Mouse Club

TV classics: The Mickey Mouse Club

USA 1955-59, four seasons, approximately 330 episodes, 30 to 60 minutes each, ABC, black & white. Cast: Jimmie Dodd, Roy Williams, Bob Amsberry, Tommy Cole, Annette Funicello, Sharon Baird, Bobby Burgess, Darlene Gillespie, Cubby O’Brien, Karen Pendelton, Doreen Tracey, Lonnie Burr and many others.

Plot summary: Who’s the leader of the club, that’s made for you and me? M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E! Hey! there, Hi! there, Ho! there. You’re as welcome as can be. M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E. Mickey Mouse! Mickey Mouse!

Review: Every holiday season, I love to revisit childhood classics and today I’m rolling the drums for The Mickey Mouse Club. Do you already hear it, the catchy tune of the theme song and the lyrics you will never forget once you’ve heard them?! It’s one of those songs that stay in your head all day and paint a happy smile on your lips if you are the likes of me. If you aren’t, I’m sorry for bringing it up but in the middle of all the Christmas shopping and baking and carol singing, I got in the mood for two of my favorite cartoon characters, Minnie Mouse and Mickey.

Originally a brainchild of Walt Disney and Bill Cottrell, The Mickey Mouse Club was a variety show for children and their families created by Bill Walsh and Hal Adelquist to help finance the Disneyland theme park. Hosted by Jimmie Dodd and his Mouseketeers, the program featured weekly music, talent and comedy segments, a serial, as well as cartoons with Mickey Mouse as the regular star. Dubbed by Walt Disney himself, Mickey appeared in newly developed stories and theatrical shorts from the 1920s through 40s. His girlfriend Minnie was also featured on occasion or paid tribute to in charming acts such as “Cooking with Minnie Mouse” presented by the Mouseketeers, Jimmie and Ruth Dodd.

In general, The Mickey Mouse Club was entertainment, pure and simple. It invited children to enter Mickey’s clubhouse on a weekly basis and picked up everyday topics in their clips and serials to gently teach them how to deal with different situations. Fun, decency and common sense were major factors, as well as making the children feel part of Mickey’s family of Mouseketeers and cartoon characters.

Today, the show can be revisited on Youtube or, occasionally, in reruns on TV. Although revived in the 1970s and 90s, the original MMC has not lost any of its charm and remains one of those classic shows any of its remakes cannot hold a candle to. In the 1950 and 60s, the first Mouseketeers brought a lot of joy and laughter to an entire generation whose love for Mickey and company was passed on to their own children. With selected episodes now available as Disney Treasures on DVD, chances are high that their grandchildren will also get to enjoy the uplifting quality of this genuine program (as an incentive for those of you who are late Christmas shoppers).

For more information on the show, please have a look at this marvelous site. For the classic farewell song, click here.

The Flintstones

TV classics: The Flintstones

USA 1960-66, six seasons, 166 episodes, approximately 30 minutes each, ABC, color. Cast: Alan Reed, Mel Blanc, Jean Vander Pyl, Bea Benaderet, Gerry Johnson, Don Messick, John Stephenson

Plot summary: Yabba dabba doo!

Review: Meet Fred and Wilma, last name Flintstone, a couple of modern Stone Age Honeymooners whose next-door neighbors are the Rubbles. Betty and Barney are best friends with Wilma and Fred and together, they live through everyday adventures in Bedrock, including household mishaps and dinosaur malfunctions. Although things get rocky from time to time and their friendship is tested on occasion, the Flintstones and Rubbles are like Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel – nothing can separate them for long. Two married couples in the beginning of the show, they grow even closer at the arrival of baby Pebbles and Bam-Bam soon after.

With their endless references to pop culture and contemporary topics, the show is now available on DVD and offers a great look back at small-town America of the 1960s. What was hilarious then is still amusing now – from dinosaur-operated cranes, over foot-powered cars to mammoth trunks as garden hoses. Show creators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera reinvented and redesigned modern-day amenities to translate the roaring 60s into a rocking Stone Age that appealed to children and their parents. Although declining in popularity after rejuvenating the plotlines with the inclusion of Pebbles and Bam-Bam, The Flintstones were the first animated show in TV history that lasted more than two seasons and has an ongoing impact on popular culture today.

Originally inspired by The Honeymooners, the show has stood the test of time with generations of families and is still a treat for anyone who enjoys imaginative storytelling and loves to chuckle about names like Gary Granite, Rock Hudstone or Perry Masonry.

Enjoy a sample episode here.

A Radio Treat

Two days ago, I listened to a radio broadcast from 1950, a live recording from March 23 to be exact, the day of the 22nd Academy Awards. Presented by Paul Douglas at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood with radio comments by Ken Carpenter, Eve Arden and Ronald Reagan, the show was a good two hours in length and filled with lots of joyful moments.

The show – although already exciting for any classic movie buff without great names such as James Cagney, Jane Wyman, Jimmy Stewart, Dick Powell and June Allyson, Anne Baxter and John Hodiac, Cole Porter, Ruth Roman and Barbara Hale – was entertaining from the start and blessed with a beautiful score presented by Gene Autry, Dean Martin and other wonderful performers. Despite the many differences in presentation compared to the lengthy ceremony I’ve long stopped watching each year, it amused me to find one announcement already existed back in 1950: the request for the winners to cut their thank you’s short. And trust me, the few people who said more than a heartfelt thank you, didn’t take center stage to present a short story about their lives. How refreshing to hear there once was a way to go about this differently, when recipients were in tears about their accomplishment without dwelling on it. How surprising to hear a young boy thank his parents and God – at least by today’s standards.

I know not everyone will share my sentiment, but I loved the mix of glamor and simplicity, such a charming combination. Stars and winners aside, the radio hosts also won my heart for their lively presentation and supportive attitude. Without making a fuss, they added to the style of a show that still showed signs of gratefulness and modesty towards their peers and audience. A different world, Hollywood in 1950, both good and bad, and so much fun revisiting with your eyes closed.

Hotel

TV classics: Hotel

USA 1983-88, five seasons, 115 episodes, approximately 50 minutes each, ABC, color. Cast: James Brolin, Connie Sellecca, Nathan Cook, Shari Belafonte, Michael Spound, Heidi Bohay, Shea Farrell, Harry George Phillips and Anne Baxter.

Plot summary: For the hotel staff, life is busy at St. Gregory’s, for the guests, it’s pure leisure and luxury.

Review: Based on Arthur Hailey’s novel from 1965, Hotel focused on the lives and loves at St. Gregory, a fictional five star hotel located in San Francisco. Led by Anne Baxter as hotel owner Victoria Cabot, the show predominantly featured the professional and personal lives of general manager Peter McDermott (James Brolin), his assistant manager Christine Francis (Connie Sellecca) and their staff. Supported by a colorful collection of guest stars, including Gene Barry, Polly Bergen, Joan Fontaine, Beverly Garland, Leslie Nielsen, Debbie Reynolds, Elizabeth Taylor, Betty White, Shelley Winters, Jane Wyatt and many others, the show met the standards of Love Boat, a comedy hit also produced by Aaron Spelling on ABC at the time.

Although originally featuring Bette Davis as the head of St. Gregory who was soon replaced by Anne Baxter for health reasons, Hotel faced a lot of dramatic changes in characterization and plot. Speaking to an audience who enjoyed the mix of soap opera and celebrity appeal, the show had the perfect time slot on ABC, following an equally dramatic Dynasty. With season one available on DVD since 2009, fans of the show are invited to revisit the glamor and allure of St. Gregory’s, its sympathetic staff and matriarchal owner beautifully portrayed by Bette Davis’ 1950 on-screen nemesis Anne Baxter. A shining example of the prime time soap genre celebrated to perfection in the 1980s, the show also has the quality to appeal to those who may still be unfamiliar with the program but enjoy a cast of well-known faces and a regular dose of emotional mayhem. So for anyone who was happy about the recent comeback of Dallas on TV, this show could be the perfect treat.